The present invention relates to an electrical connector assembled component having a plug connector to be disposed on a circuit board and a receptacle connector to be disposed on another circuit board and to be fitted and connected to the plug connector. Further, the present invention relates to the plug connector and the receptacle connector of the electrical connector assembled component.
Patent Reference has disclosed a conventional electrical connector assembled component. According to the conventional connector assembled component disclosed in Patent Reference, both a receptacle connector and a plug connector thereof have components (metal members). The component includes a connecting section for fixing the plug connector or the receptacle connector to a circuit board by soldering.
Further, when the receptacle connector is connected to the plug connector, the components engage (lock) with each other, so that the receptacle connector does not come off from the plug connector. In addition, the components also serve as power source terminals that are electrically connected at portions thereof locking with each other. The components are made from sheet metal and are held in a housing at both ends of each terminal of the connectors in the terminal arrangement direction.
Patent Reference Japanese Patent Publication No. 2010-198996
In the conventional connector assembled component disclosed in Patent Reference, the component of the receptacle connector has end sections supported with end walls of the housing and side sections that are formed being bent from the end sections and are supported by both side walls, and has a U-shape as a whole when viewed from the connector fitting direction. Each end portion has a hook-like engaging section that protrudes upward and is bent in an inverse U-shape, and each side portion is held by both inner surfaces of side walls of the housing by surface contact thereto and has a concave engaging section formed thereon.
On the other hand, the component of the plug connector has a flat member part, which is parallel to the end portion of the component of the receptacle connector, and has a protruding locking section that enters and engages with the concave engaging section at both ends thereof as sectional end surfaces taken along the plate thickness direction, and further includes a U-shape piece that is bent from a lower edge of the flat member part and extends upward, with another protruding locking section is provided on a plate surface thereof.
According to Patent Reference, the portions of the respective components, which lock each other, are referred to as differently so as to easily distinguish therebetween, i.e. a component of the receptacle connector is referred to as a “engaging section”, and a securing section of the plug connector is referred to as a “locking section”.
In the conventional connector assembled component disclosed in Patent Reference, once the plug connector fits and connects to the receptacle connector, which have components as described above, in the fitting process, the protruding locking section and another protruding locking section of the plug connector can proceed to specified positions for the fitting, while being in a state that the corresponding concave engaging section and inverse U-shaped hook-like engaging section are elastically deformed for the amount of the interference. Once reaching the specified positions, the elastic deformations are released, and the corresponding locking sections and engaging sections engage each other for the amount of interference and thereby exhibit a locking effect to prevent the connectors' coming off therefrom. In addition, as described above, the both components also serve as power source terminals, and are configured to electrically connectable in at least one of the three locking sections.
In the conventional connector assembled component disclosed in Patent Reference, when the components are in the locked state, the locking sections of the components of the plug connector is positioned below the engaging sections of the receptacle connector, with the amount of interference to the engaging sections. Since the electrical connector assembled component does not specially has a configuration to energize to have the locking sections and the engaging sections contact to each other, in the locked state, the locking sections do not contact with the engaging sections of the receptacle and are positioned with a certain distance away therefrom in the connector insertion/removal direction, while being able to lock.
Even when the locking sections are positioned to be able to contact with the engaging sections in the connector insertion/removal direction, contact pressure between the locking section and the engaging section is small. Therefore, when the both components are used as power source terminals having the locking sections and the engaging sections as contact points therebetween, the components do not contact to each other or unstably contact as described above, so that it is not possible to secure electrical connection therebetween.
Furthermore, as already described above, since the locking sections and the engaging sections have the locking function, when unexpected external force is applied in the connector removal direction on the connector assembled component that are in a connector fitted state, the locking sections and the engaging sections engage each other with engaging force against such external force. Accordingly, receiving the engaging force, there is a concern of deformation of the locking sections and the engaging sections, and therefore the state of contact between the locking sections and the engaging sections may become unstable.
In other words, according to the components of Patent Reference, although it is possible to secure the function as a locking section, it is not possible to fully secure the function as a contact section.
In view of the above-described problems, an object of the invention is to provide an electrical connector assembled component, a plug connector, and a receptacle connector, in which terminals thereof can lock to each other with enough engaging force and stably contact with each other.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.